Christer Fuglesang, a veteran of five spacewalks and a professor of particle physics, will present a five-week online course on human spaceflight beginning on 23 January.

The course is available to all to follow on aspects of human spaceflight such as the environmental, medical and technical challenges of space travel, offering a broad overview of spaceflight from research to social and political aspects and looking to the future.

Christer says: "Human spaceflight is extremely inspiring and involves much more than the few lucky astronauts who go to space.

"Enrol now if you are curious about spaceflight or want a better understanding of the subject."

The course is offered for free online with weekly tests and a final exam. A certified diploma is available if you pass the tests for a fee.

The course is offered by the Swedish KTH Royal Institute of Technology in collaboration with ESA.

Christer earned a PhD from Stockholm University in 1987 in particle physics and worked at CERN from 1988 to 1991.

He flew on two missions with the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station in 2006 and 2009, participating in five spacewalks.

Between 2010 and 2013 he was the Head of the Science and Applications Division of ESA's Human Spaceflight directorate.